Tales of Rogues
by RedRogues
Summary: Nonsensical scenarios featuring the Red Rogues cast! Co-written on MSN and revised slightly to make 'some' sense. Rated for some sparse crude language. Enjoy.
1. Steamy Rings and Other Things

Tales of Rogues: 1 – Steamy Rings and Other Things

It was just another typical day in the Arcadian skies; the sun bright and blazing over those that dared to take flight with airships that lacked a true means to stay afloat. The inhabitants of the Thalia, always seeking to make the impossible theoretically possible, had installed a small propeller on the back of their ship as a true 'in your face' to those around that had never once before questioned the laws of gravity. It was a staple to prove just how ignorant the world had become in these last few generations; taking for granted what was and never truly once thinking about it.

That isn't to say that the Red Rogues were the most thought provoking individuals in the sky, however. In fact, it is easy to say that more of the opposite is true.

"Give me my ring back!" Karen exclaimed, bearing a clenched well shook fist at the man next to her.

"No." replied the cheeky red-head, clenching the ring with a fist launched high in the air as the silver haired Glacian tried in vain to grab it from him. He grinned, knowing full well that she wasn't tall enough to take it directly. "What's the magic word, Karen?"

"No Piers, I will not repeat myself." She shot daggers in his direction as she deflected his hand away from her shoulder. "Do not make me."

"Aw, come on..." Piers teased, waving his hand close enough for Karen to reach but quickly recoiling before she could take it back. "When's the last time you've just politely asked, hmm? Not very suiting for an advisor of royalty to be so... demanding."

"Piers, enough of this childish behavior." Karen scoffed, folding her arms ever so tightly against her chest. He'd not get the best of her!

He stuck out his tongue. "Guess you won't be getting it back today, then. What a shame. Toodles!" With that the twenty-five year old man turned and gave her a cheerful wave before initiating his departure.

Karen seethed with frustration as the redhead took his leave, swearing that he had done a light swagger to taunt her. Well, it worked. She had to get the ring back from Piers... What would Michelin say?

"Aw, Karen! What's with all the fuss?" A concerned voice reached her ears, which caused Karen to slightly blush at her predicament.

"Ah... it's nothing, Vanessa. Don't worry about it." The Glacian didn't even face her direction as her curly-haired friend approached.

"Obviously not." A slight head tilt of intrigue possessed the sexy curly haired girl. "Karen... don't lie to me."

"What gives you the impression that I am being dishonest?" Karen retorted, finally turning to face her companion.

"The sudden sharp tone towards me is a good indication..." Vanessa's lips twitched with amusement, not mentioning that the girl's blushed cheeks and shaken posture were also clear giveaways.

"...you'd be best to mind your own business, Vanessa." The sudden tone shocked the girl, not too sure she was comfortable with where this conversation could be headed. "After all, wouldn't you want me to do the same?" Her jade eyes challenged Vanessa's brown pools.

"Well, I was going to offer to steal the ring back from him, seeing as I understand it is an important thing to you, but if you don't want me to be tangled up with this... I suppose that's fine too." Vanessa's mood notably deflated. "I just came to ask if you wanted to cook with me or hang out later, but I guess it was the wrong time to do so, sorry."

Karen gave her friend a blank stare. She hadn't have needed to sound so sad about it. Who gave her the right to switch to "saddened pirate" anyway?

"Oi, Karen!" This voice was distinctive and snarky in its nature as it casually interrupted their conversation. "Prince wants you for something; better go attend to him before he gets upset." Skye entered the scene, stepping out onto the deck and appearing absolutely beautiful as the wind gently ruffled her cascading blonde locks. She stood with her own arms crossed, her eyes clearly telling the Glacian to beat it as it was her turn to occupy her missie's time.

"He can wait." Karen said, not caring how rude she had sounded. Skye wouldn't get to her today. "Vanessa and I were about to have a chit chat." Skye blinked in surprise as she adjusted her glasses. "As nice as I know you're trying to be, your "liege" does want you for something or another, I really didn't pay attention."

"Tell him I'm with Vanessa right now, and it's rather serious." Karen held a firm grip on Vanessa's shoulder, surprising both her and the blonde.

"I hope you aren't expecting me to take care of it!" Skye hollered after her, folding her arms once more. "Bitch."

Vanessa could already see where this was going, and she didn't really feel like being caught in a tug-of-war for her attention.

"It's fine, Skye. It'll only be for a few minutes and then I'll join you. Please inform Marion that I'll be delaying Karen's arrival, would you? I'd greatly appreciate it."

"B-but..." Skye's composure shook for a moment, her hardened exterior breaking from the humble plea that her friend gave her. It was hard to say no to that woman. She sighed. "Fine. But just for the record I'm doing it for you, not her." She jabbed a finger in Karen's direction and threw her a snide look before retreating. She hated when Vanessa forced her to back down; she quite anticipated ruffling Karen's feathers in yet another argument.

Karen awkwardly looked in Vanessa's direction, dreading the response that she knew she was going to receive.

"Look, Karen, I know it bothers you... but for something like this, you don't have to shun help offered to you. I know how Piers can be. He will likely give it back to you tomorrow, but if you want it back now, I'll go snatch it up for you." Vanessa gave her a soft smile, knowing full well that Karen was desperately trying to control her frustration and wasn't sure that she could handle it while dialoguing. "If you don't wish to consider it a favor from me, just think of it as a Red Rogue sharpening her skills. One in this occupation should always practice their art, you know."

"Vanessa, I don't want -"

"Actually, disregard what you're about to say. I'm going to get it back for you anyway, and you can scold me or whatever then. How'd Piers bid you farewell last time?"

"... He said toodles." Karen's voice was quiet.

"Toodles then Karen! See you later." With a wink and a grin Vanessa headed inside to seek out her red-headed target. Karen was left to stand silently on the deck, almost a bit uncertain of what to think as she was forced into accepting her friend's help without much of an argument. Despite everything that had happened, Karen felt a bit of relief from what had transpired. Well, things could have gone worse…

* * *

"That dumb bitch... How dare she undermine me in front of _her_." Skye mumbled, leaning up against the deck, the wind playing with her bangs. "Stupid Karen and her stupidity!"

"My sensitive ears!" A young male voice groaned from the corner, clamping his ears shut with his hands in an attempt to block the bad words from further assaulting his brain. "Crikey Skye, underage child here, you know better than to swear." Skye snorted, her anger dispelled momentarily by the random introduction of the blond-haired boy.

"Cade, you've never had a problem with swearing before; no need to start pussyfooting around it now. Who's been trying to 'teach' you etiquette, was it Karen? Because if it's that bitch I ought to..."

"Piers, actually. He said it was, uh... unbecoming or some nonsense like that. Marion agreed, so I've been trying to, uh... smarten up." Cade grinned.

"You'd best be ignoring what either of them said." She raised a brow. "And lose the 'Crikey."

"Aw... I thought it was cool." Cade frowned, actually appearing a bit sad. "Though they did tell me to ignore you as well, so I guess, uh... I don't know what I should do. Guess I should just drop everything... and start anew, or something."

"Shit Cade, I've never seen you be so indecisive." Skye paused as Cade cringed at the swear word. She found it amusing, although she liked him more prior to his new found 'enlightenment'. "I don't know what kind of nonsense they've been teaching you, but I'd recommend to stop listening to them. Just leaves you confused."

"Well that's true... life is kind of boring without spontaneous vulgar expressions. Thanks Skye! You're the best." It was amazing how easily Cade could cheer up. Well, the problem he mulled over was completely trivial, but still.

"Glad to hear..." She shrugged off the compliment, visibly turning away from Cade. She cleared her throat as her voice turned serious. "Cade, I need you to do something for me." Cade straightened, his expression showing notable intrigue. Any time Skye asked something of him; it had always turned out to be a most interesting request... What could it be this time?

"Sure!"

Skye knelt a bit to Cade's level as she pressed her and against his ear. "I need you to-"

"-Aaah!" Cade swatted an upcoming bug away from his face, causing Skye to lose her balance and grab a hold of the rail beside her.

"Good god, did you really need to scream like that!"

"B-But!" Cade hid behind her, Skye soon finding out what had been the cause of the sudden interruption. The long yellow skinny body of the small insect had been the dead giveaway as she froze immediately.

"Why the hell did you bring it over to me!"

"G-Get it away!" He yelled, grabbing onto Skye in sheer terror.

"I sure as hell don't want it near me!" Skye froze; the hornet landing on her arm. She tried her best not to let out a scream.

Oddly enough, as the two clung to each other in terror, the hornet abruptly decided to change paths and headed through an open porthole. The two were relieved at its sudden departure, though one was concerned that it was potentially after one of the other crewmates, while the other was more hoping that it would sting a particular silver-haired gal. That and she now couldn't enter the ship again without paranoia paralyzing her at the fact that it was in there somewhere...

"There's no way I'm going in there." She said, now her favor meaning that much more. "Now why don't you be so kind and... spy on Vanessa and Karen for me?" She let out a huge grin as her smile widened from ear to ear.

"No way. I'm not heading in there. Did you see how big it was! I don't want it stinging me!-"

Skye pushed Cade near the door as he let out a displeased grunt.

"Do I get anything for this?" Cade was still resisting as he was shoved near the door, hesitating as he turned back to face his 'employer'.

"Fame, fortune, and undying love for thee? Hah! Who do you think I am? Get your ass in there." She chortled, though as Cade's expression began to form a stubborn denial, she slightly conceded. "Fine, I'll get Vanessa to bake you all the cookies you want later. I'll let you join in our next escapade too, 'right?"

"Okay!" Cade enthusiastically went through the door, his former terror seemingly forgotten as he plunged into the wooden depths.

Skye breathed a sign of relief. She was quite happy that Cade would do her dirty work for her at the mere mention of cookies. A glutton indeed; and it'd work to "her" benefit! ...Oh, and she should have told Cade to let the Prince know that Karen would see to his 'problem' as soon as possible... Oops, oh well.

* * *

When Cade ventured within the ship he called home, he came to the realization of two things. First, his love for cookies was so strong that he had already completely forgotten how perilous this adventure truly was, with a hornet on the loose; secondly he had no true idea where Karen and Vanessa were or why he should be eavesdropping on them. He understood that when it came to matters concerning Vanessa, Skye always felt like she should be part of it. Why she cared about this particular conversation with Karen, of whom Vanessa conversed with daily, Cade was uncertain.

He could not find them in any of their regular dwellings - the bridge or the kitchen. He had expected that they would be cooking together as lunch time was fast approaching; a fair guess, but he knew that Skye could have spied on them herself if they were in such an open area. He slowly crept up to Karen's door, listening for anything of interest. All he could hear was the soft sounds of Karen quietly humming to herself, the tune nostalgic as she had sung that particular tune to him only a few weeks ago. If she was just humming a traditional Glacian tune, Vanessa couldn't be present. Skye had led him to believe that it was a more secret and pressing conversation - guess it had ended before he had arrived. He would check up on what Vanessa was doing and then report back to Skye. He almost felt bad that he'd have nothing juicy to share with her; not that he was certain that he would, anyway.

Vanessa had made her way to the guys' room, where Piers lounged on the bed to the right. He playfully tossed a ball of yarn to each hand, forming a juggling motion.

"What is it, love?" He teased as her presence was more than known to him. "Come to play?"

"Knock it off." Her voice was stern.

"Aw, come on Nessa, don't be like that." Piers gave a sly smile as his right hand clamped around the ball of yarn, stopping the momentum it had gained from his tossing it around. His eyes lit up as he stared at her, the girl looking slightly displeased as she entered the room and closed the door. Ignoring her chagrin, his imaginative mind played with the thought that they were alone in the room together. Many possibilities could branch out from here, but would it be the one that he wanted...?

Surely she wouldn't mind if he tried to ease whatever was troubling her. Maybe a massage would help loosen the near stiff posture he seen her to have.

"Please, sit." He patted the remaining space on his bed hoping that'd be an indication.

Vanessa stood hesitantly, not sure how she wanted to approach this. She hadn't yet seen the location of the ring she was searching for, and determined that he likely had it in one of his pockets - she didn't dare let her eyes wander down to scan them, as he was sure to get the wrong idea. She knew that if she wanted to do this tactfully, she would have to accept his offer and sit down next to him on his bed. He was probably thinking of giving her a massage, judging by the somewhat concerned look his face adopted as it looked at her. Without saying anything, she plopped down next to him, staring at her boots as she gave a reluctant sigh.

"Do your worst." She uttered, Piers couldn't help but grin. So she was going to play.

"Now now, we can't have you ruining what has the potential to be a great time, now can we?" He winked, Vanessa not catching the obvious hint. She felt his cool hands on her shoulders, immediately becoming tense.

"Just relax..." He soothed, letting his hands work their magic as he eased her stressed muscles and smiling as she involuntarily shuddered, clearly enjoying his service. Her clothes were a bit of a pain to work around, but he didn't dare ask her to take them off, knowing that would be far beyond her comfort zone right now. Besides, he just wanted to establish a comfortable atmosphere for the two of them to reside in; to allow Vanessa some time to lower her defenses. That didn't mean that he couldn't visualize what he couldn't see physically...

Vanessa didn't intend to succumb to his simple charms but her body was entirely for it, releasing stress pent up that she wasn't even aware that she had. She was still looking down at her legs, but now she was taking short glances at both individual pockets of his shorts - he couldn't notice now that he was more focused on her back muscles. As she gazed over, she caught sight of a small circular object in the right pocket farthest away from her. There it was... but how to get to it...?

"Now, tell me." Piers started; his voice now soothingly quiet. "What's on your mind, my Nessa?"

Usually Piers wouldn't dare to make such advancements in her direction ...UNLESS! Had he known what she came here to achieve. She certainly hoped that wasn't the case.

"Not too much, really…" She admitted softly; providing an honest statement though her tone came off as more evasive. She allowed herself another moment to enjoy the massage, and was sadder than she should have been when he paused, imploring for more information. He wanted to get inside her head and see what she was feeling, but that was entirely dependent on how willing she was to open up to him. "Nothing that you need to worry about, in any case..."

"Must you entice my curiosity so? I'm always here for you, Nessa, I hope you know that." His arms wrapped around her, giving her a hug from behind. Vanessa's cheeks flushed, feeling a bit too comfortable in his hold.

"Just feeling a bit under the weather, I suppose." It wasn't a lie; she had been feeling a bit out of it these last few days.

"The crystal?" His voice was light. Her heart thumped as he drew closer.

"Yeah..." It was no more than a whisper. As if on cue, the scabbard of Piers' sword fell off, clamouring on the floor for a moment before lying still.

His eyes came to a close as he rested his head on Vanessa's shoulder. He wouldn't let the simple jar from the scabbard ruin the moment between him and his Nessa.

* * *

Cade couldn't help but be relieved from the interruption Piers' scabbard caused earlier. He wasn't sure how far the two were going to go, and was in no quick hurry to find out. Although the two were quite charming; as they proved to be.

Knowing that he wasn't going to discover much more by eavesdropping, Cade decided that he'd head back to report to Skye on his findings. He was worried that she would be disappointed because he had nothing to offer other than that Vanessa was ill and hanging out with Piers while Karen did... whatever in her room, but it would have to do. He walked slowly back, slightly paranoid as he could hear the angry buzz of the hornet nearby while he could not see it. He didn't want to run because he knew it would likely pursue and also his heavy footfalls would give him away to the other occupants in the area.

"Practicing your next stealth mission, Cade?" The man's tone was curious as Cade jumped and whirled around, coming to face the only purple-clad wearing Prince on board, Marion.

"A-actually, I can hear a hornet somewhere... don't want to startle it or it'll come after me." He felt clever, being able to be deceptive with an entirely honest answer.

"Oh, that bug in the corner?" Marion pointed it out, Cade paling as he realized he had been walking right towards it. "No fear, bud, I'll get it." Cade watched in astonishment and worry as Marion fearlessly approached the hornet and, without so much of a thought more, smashed it with his fist. The prince grimaced as he beheld the sight of the guts of the insect on the wall. The body lay crumpled on the ground. "I don't think Vanessa would be happy if I left that up there. She just cleaned the hallway this morning."

"W-Wow! That was incredible!" Cade clasped his hands together, staring in awe at both Marion and the dead hornet. "You socked the hell outta that thing!"

"All in a day's work I suppose." He said while uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck. When it came to being praised, Marion was truly at a loss for words. It came as a simple truth; he just wasn't used to it.

Cade's eyes sparkled. "I wish I could do that... but those things terrify me." The amount of courage it took to face such fears... Cade lacked the motivation when it concerned hornets. He had always feared them intuitively, though he had never been stung before.

"Ah, well... everyone has a fear like that, so no need to be embarrassed about it." Marion brightened. "If you ever have an issue with a hornet, just come to me. I'll take care of it for you."

"That would be great, thanks." Cade turned to leave, though he hesitated as Marion cleared his throat.

"Um, Cade? Have you seen Karen anywhere? I asked Skye to look for her, but I haven't seen anyone since..."

"She's in her room. Just finished up a discussion with Vanessa, I think, because she left only a moment ago." Cade figured it would be best to cover his bases by implying that he had seen Vanessa himself, although he hadn't.

"Ah, so she was busy. Wish Skye had told me though, was getting a bit stressed waiting to hear from someone..." Marion sighed. "Guess I'll go bug Karen now. See you later, Cade." He reached out and ruffled the younger boy's hair instinctively, smiling before taking his leave.

Cade let out a huge sigh, a mixture of relief and worry. Thank the moons the retched hornet was gone. Although that was the best he could come up with when reporting back to Skye. Besides that he had nothing.

Vanessa almost dozed off, Piers repeating the massage he had done earlier. She hadn't realized how tired she was, now realizing that it was serious business. Her eyelids weighed a ton.

Piers felt protective and more loving than ever as he could sense how vulnerable she was becoming as she allowed herself to relax. She had become more drowsy and comfortable while in his presence; he couldn't believe the amount of stress that ebbed away from her as he continued his massaging crusade. She looked as if she were about to fall asleep on him; something he wouldn't mind at all if she did. It had happened once before while they were on the deck all that time ago; it gave him feelings that he would love to recreate tonight. It didn't seem that Vanessa wanted to repeat that experience just yet as she fought to keep her eyes open; succeeding as she gently pulled herself away from him. He reluctantly let his hands fall onto the bedspread, watching as she wearily gave him a grateful smile.

"I should probably lie down for a bit... feeling very tired now." She yawned, blushing in embarrassment as she had allowed herself to fall so far. She still hadn't retrieved Karen's ring from him yet, and knew that there was only one way she could still take possession of it without his know how. She stretched out her hands expectantly for a hug; Piers only too happy to oblige. While they hugged, Vanessa retrieved the ring with a short burst of her power. She hid it in her right hand as she pulled away, giving him a shy kiss on the cheek before heading for the door. "I'll see you later, Piers. Thanks for the massage."

"Not a problem, Nessa. Take it easy." He sat back down on the bed, a content smile on his face as he watched her depart.

Vanessa felt accomplished for more than one reason as she walked towards Karen's dwelling, feeling relief and pride as she knocked on the door. She was only taken aback for a moment as the Prince opened it; forgetting entirely that he had been requesting Karen's presence not too long before. Well, it didn't matter so much whether he was there or not; she bid him simple pleasantries and headed over to Karen. The spectacle-wearing girl did not know what to expect and was unprepared for when her friend lunged for her, giving her a strong hug and slipping her right hand in her own. Karen was confused at the motion until she felt the small object being gently pressed into her hand. Vanessa withdrew, giving the teen a wink and a nod to the Prince before she headed off to her own room. Marion didn't understand the exchange, but he was never one to question displays of true friendship.

_Thank you, Vanessa._ Karen thought to herself. You _didn't have to do that for me... but you did. Thank you._


	2. A Contemplative Dinner

The crew placed themselves around the kitchen table for dinner, Skye and Piers fighting for the traditional spot beside their shared female companion; Vanessa. Karen had noticed the two, as she was located near Vanessa, helping make up the meals for tonight's dinner. How incredibly juvenile the two were acting. One could simply enjoy her company at dinnertime while the other could accompany her afterward. Or maybe not, as Karen glanced at the clock, noticing how late it really was. Vanessa had a nap after she accomplished the bold and adventurous adventure to get the ring back from Piers. A sigh of relief had escaped her again, surely relieved that she hadn't have needed to come up with an excuse for why the ring was absent on her finger. She could say she put it away in a special place, as well as a Piers proof area. He'd never look for it in her bookshelf!

Vanessa had the mixture of potatoes, green beans and noodles separated on 6 plates. Karen took two at a time and served each individual, starting with her Prince. He graciously accepted, moving over so Karen could have a seat. Cade, who was on the other side of him tugged Skye's arm down and directed her attention to Karen. Skye grumbled as she took her seat by Cade, letting Piers have the golden throne by Vanessa. Piers stuck his tongue in Skye's direction as his food was placed in front of him. Karen hadn't missed her Prince roll his eyes at the situation, just as she had done before.

Vanessa finally sat down after she had made sure that everyone else was happily (or rather, as happy as they could be, given the usual competition that festered during the evening meal) situated in their seats and taken care of. She had noticed the exchange between Skye and Piers; it was hard not to, given that they always fought for the seat next to her. She found it amusing and a compliment that she was worth such a fuss, but she usually said nothing, playing dumb so they could sort it out themselves. She always had wondered why they simply never asked Karen to change places with them, seeing as that would have solved everyone's problem. Karen was unlikely to say no if asked politely.

The meal started off in a traditional fashion; quiet as everyone gratefully indulged in their meal. Half of the table's eating etiquette was less than stellar, but those who were proficient in the art of using a fork and knife had learned that it was best not to vocalize this issue. They usually got food flung in their face if they did.

"Watch it!" Skye warned Piers, who came into contact with her elbow. "Keep your useless limbs to yourself."

Piers chose not to respond, knowing full well she was bitter. He couldn't sympathize too much though. She really had to learn to let go of her childish ways. He shoveled the lightly buttered potatoes in his mouth, the moans of satisfaction clearly displaying his true mood.

"That good, eh?" Vanessa's mouth formed a gentle smile, quite pleased that Piers enjoyed her dish. She was worried that she might have overdone Piers' dish, as he wasn't too much of a butter fan. She had succeeded; another small victory for today!

"Like you even need to ask." Piers replied, swallowing another delectable bite before throwing a wink in her direction. "When it comes to preparing food, you have no equal."

"I'm inclined to agree with him, Vanessa." The prince spoke up, smiling. "You never seem to get any recipe wrong, even if it's out of your usual repertoire." The amount of praise being thrown in her direction was humbling.

"Well, I'm sure a few of those Glacian dishes might have gone awry if I didn't have Karen's assistance…"

"I wish they did." Skye muttered to herself. "Then we wouldn't have to eat them at least once a week." Cade playfully nudged her with his elbow, having heard what she said.

"They're not that bad after awhile." Cade giggled at the disgusted look Skye gave him. "Well, it's true!"

"Whatever." Skye would never admit that she actually liked some of the Glacian dishes, which were mostly abundant on fish. If she did, she was sure that the Prince would never let her live it down. "I'd rather have ravioli than fish guts, thanks." A silence had collected around the table, having heard that last statement. Vanessa sighed, putting down her fork.

"I haven't made ravioli in quite some time…" She frowned, intentionally not looking anyone in the eyes as she thought about it. "If anyone wants it, I'll make it tomorrow."

"Nessa? Is everything all right?" Piers whispered to her, genuine concern etched in his tone. He didn't know why talking about food made her so quiet. She didn't answer him.

"I'd love some!" Cade exclaimed. He loved anything that Vanessa personally had a hand in cooking; he was sure her ravioli was just as great as everything else she made.

* * *

"I'll help you wash up." Karen said, collecting the empty dishes around the table as Vanessa gathered the glasses. She noticed Skye stretch, yawning ever so rudely. "You'd be best to help us too."

"Hah, whatever. Karen, you can have Vanessa on this occasion. I hate cleaning." Skye said to Karen as a matter of fact. "I have better things to do."

"So you'll help me train then?" Cade said; his hopes obviously high. "Since you said I could go on the next raid, I'll need some practice!"

"Uh?" Skye blankly stared at the boy in front of her, then the two women. Karen raised a brow as Skye pondered. "Okay. But not for long, I want some personal Skye time later…"

"Okay!" Cade grabbed Skye's arm as he pulled her to the intended destination, the deck.

Karen gave Piers a look, as if to follow the two. She wasn't overly keen on the blonde training Cade, as her tactics weren't fitting on a boy his age. Piers however wasn't going to budge on this one. He wanted to know what was wrong with the curly haired girl deliberately drawn away from the conversation. Her concentration primarily focused on sink before her.

"Marion, my buddy!" Piers chimed, nudging the Prince on the arm. "Help a brother out?" He nodded, obviously getting the hint. Now wherever Marion decided to go, he didn't care. He just wanted to get him out, and hopefully Karen would follow. "You might want to attend to him too, Karen."

"Piers!" She knew what he was going to try to do. She wasn't going to budge an inch. Vanessa wasn't in the mood for such nonsense, and Karen would do her best to prevent it.

Marion was not one to usually be insightful regarding these types of situations, but on this particular case he was. The look on Vanessa's face and her stiff body language made it apparent that she was upset about something but unwilling to talk about it. He had an idea on what it could be, too; it was not worth bailing Piers out to allow him to dig up the past. He could see why Karen was being persistent in denying the red-head access.

"Actually, Piers… I was hoping we could talk." Marion proposed it awkwardly, because he knew Piers would be disappointed in his lack of assistance and also annoyed that he was intentionally doing the opposite of what he asked. "About, you know… bro code business." Piers perked up at the mention.

"You rarely ever bring up the bro code, Marion…" Piers' tone was almost suspicious. What was the prince playing at? He wasn't really given a chance to ponder on it, because the taller man soon grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the kitchen. Whatever this topic was, Marion would not be denied.

"I don't think I will ever understand that." Karen mused softly. "The big deal around the bro code, I mean."

"It's just the equivalent of a person opening up about something personal, that's all." Vanessa lightly teased, pausing to dry a plate.

"True, but I don't think they need a name for it." Karen shrugged, passing Vanessa a glass. Karen was silent as she scanned her friend's face. She quietly asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine… I just have my moments; that's all. No need to worry about me." Vanessa rinsed the glass that had been handed to her. "It's like a feeling of homesickness, but for a friend. Comes and goes… one gets used to it."

"I see." Karen breathed heavily, feeling a strong amount of compassion for her friend. She reached to touch her friend's shoulder, but decided against it last minute. Karen would rather not intrude in on her personal space.

Karen hadn't realized the sudden crash of one of the glasses she held in her hand, a side effect of one being lost in her friend's woes she assumed. However, it had snapped her back into reality immediately. "I'll go and get a broom. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." Vanessa looked around her feet to make sure she wouldn't step on the surrounding small shards around her feet.

Karen didn't take too long in sweeping it all up, leaving the floor as pristine and hospitable as it was before. Vanessa had finished washing up around the same time Karen was placing the broom back in its rightful spot in the closet. Karen still looked flustered that she had actually committed such a clumsy act, feeling bad that she had broken one of the glasses. She knew how disappointed she would have felt if it were one of hers, so she hoped that Vanessa wasn't too unhappy about it. Considering that her mind was preoccupied on other things, Vanessa really didn't mind. She had just broken a glass in her own absentmindedness yesterday, so she really couldn't put it against Karen.

"I think I'm just going to head back to my room for a bit and read, write, or play some music. Just to have some down time." Vanessa said; turning to properly face Karen for the first time since everyone else had left the room. "Thanks for covering for me. I really don't want Piers to know about it. He'll only worry more."

"It wasn't a problem at all." Karen replied calmly, her emerald eyes scanning Vanessa's sad hazel pair. "I understand that he can be over assertive sometimes, but he does mean well."

"I know." Vanessa gave a soft, downcast smile. "Thanks again, Karen." Vanessa offered her a hug which Karen now readily accepted, not feeling that she was invading her personal space with such an invitation anymore. After that Vanessa left the kitchen, leaving Karen a second time that day to reflect on what had transpired before and what she wanted to do next.

Reading hadn't sounded like such a bad idea. Maybe she'd catch up on the "I Idolize the Blue Moon" trashy novel Skye got her for a prank gift. She'd hate to admit it, but the book did have some taste to it.


	3. Trashy Novels and Magic Lessons

A scream tore through the air as the valiant young lad let out his most hearty battle cry, swiping in a downward slash towards his opponent. His assailant side dodged the attempt, reaching out with her free hand to grab her attacker's arm. She squeezed hard, forcing the boy to drop the practice sword with a clatter to the ground.

"You're too hasty, Cade. Your actions are predictable to a fault and the weapon… if you want training with swords and knives, I don't think I'm the very best tutor for that, hmm?" Skye let go of Cade's arm, looking amused as the boy pouted and retrieved his weapon.

"I know… just wanted to see if I could do the same as Vanessa did the last time you sparred with her."

"Ah, so that's why you chose a blade. If you really want to learn that technique, I'd recommend bugging Vanessa tomorrow." Skye shrugged, spinning her pistol with a free finger as she did. "Regarding your best interests in mind, I do think you're better suited for ranged weapons."

"I guess I'm better with them… but I want to be a dual wielder someday. A combination of you both, I guess." Cade admitted sheepishly. He had always dreamed that he would be a prodigy at both styles, but he just couldn't seem to get swordsmanship down. Oh well. His vision of being a badass self-sufficient rogue would have to wait just a bit longer.

"Don't tell me you've gone stupid." Skye raised a brow. "A combination of us both? Really Cade?" She watched as the boy turned his head off to the side, trying to hide the obvious offense he took to that answer. Skye let out a sigh, placing her free hand Cade's shoulder. "Look, I'm not trying to bring you down, but you need to find a balance that works for you. Trying to emulate both Vanessa and myself isn't going to get you anywhere."

"I know… I just want to be useful out on the battlefield. You and Vanessa both," He paused, looking Skye in the face. "…are both incredible. I'd give to have those kinds of talents."

Skye couldn't help but chuckle. The kid really did flatter her. She flashed Cade a smile. "I'm glad to hear." She left it at that. She couldn't go too soft on Cade. They were still in training.

"W-what?" Cade's eyes widened as Skye handed her gun in his direction.

"Take this. We'll trade weapons. I figure it'll be fair this way." She said as she pulled herself into the defensive position. "Now give me your best shot."

"Right, but don't think I'm going easy on you!"

Cade smiled, knowing full well she was ready.

"Yah, whatever!" Skye smirked. She wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

The sound of a gunshot echoed down the hallway, causing the silver-haired teen to jump. She readjusted her spectacles, her gaze curious and slightly irritated as she caught sight of Skye and Cade sparring from the window. It appeared that they had exchanged weapons, for now Cade was haphazardly firing in Skye's direction; the latter attempting to parry the shots with a sword but opting instead to make a run for it as one bullet grazed her shoulder. Seeing quite a potential for injury here, Karen sighed and headed to retrieve her staff. She knew that neither would want her to interrupt their fight, but they wouldn't be against recovery after fatigue set in afterward. As she grabbed her staff, she also pulled out the book while she stood on call in the hallway. Karen was quite used to reading while walking around in Glacia – standing on an immobile ship would be easy.

The two fighting knew that in order to get the upper hand, one had to pressure the other into revealing their vulnerability. Skye already knew how many shots it would take until the gun needed to be reloaded – Cade was unaware that he only had two shots left before she would rush him. It was all about strategy, and that was the lesson that she was trying to teach him this time around. It didn't matter which weapon he chose to wield; what mattered instead was how he chose to use it to his advantage. Both styles had its pros and cons… she wanted to make sure that he knew that fact.

* * *

_Her enlightened squeal echoed through the halls, the man before her under her spell. She pinned him to the bed, knowing full well he wouldn't resist her. Not this time, she thought. She stripped him of his shirt, the flushed look on his face hard to ignore. 'I'm ready, so hope you ready too.' 'Oh Honey, me ready to love.' _

Karen had to close the book, as she never was used to the typical trashy 'close' scenes with two oddball characters. Not that these books were in her line of recommendations… but. Ugh, she couldn't believe herself. This 'I Idolize the Blue Moon' was unfortunately entertaining.

"I'm surprised you actually decided to read through it after all." Karen turned her head to find Piers approaching, having just come out of his own room. The talk with Marion hadn't lasted too long, apparently. After his conversation with the prince, Piers looked unnaturally solemn, being the energetic and playful fellow he usually was. "Let me guess, ends with a poorly written sex scene that leaves you completely dissatisfied and yet entirely hopeful for a sequel?"

"Sounds as if you know from personal experience, Piers." Karen quipped, hiding any indication that he had actually nailed it right on the head. Occasionally, as brain numbing as some of these novels could be, Karen did enjoy reading outside of her typical intellectual pursuits. To be seen interested in such, though… it felt degrading somehow.

"I've read plenty of books in my time… mostly from my Mom's collection, since they were just scattered around the house." Piers rolled his eyes. "Some of them were quite good, though. You can learn a lot from them."

"Oh?" Karen raised an eyebrow.

"What not to do, typically." Piers laughed. "Most people don't fall nearly as easily as they do in books. It would be a lot easier if they did, but I guess that's part of the thrill in real life experience."

Karen had to dwell on the thought. She couldn't agree with him, as her 'journey' with Michelin was anything but thrilling. Stressful to the bitter end, that was. Thinking about it, she really did miss her husband. She'd have to finish up her letter soon.

"Karen? Earth to Karen?" A steady and close Piers eyed her as if she were ready to attack him. "Anyone home?" She waved him off.

"You needn't be so loud when you're standing right next to me." Karen scolded. Piers snorted.

"Sorry, I'm used to you getting too deep into your own thoughts to hear me. Is that a yes or a no?"

"Come again?" Momentary confusion was worn on her face as she looked at him, slightly embarrassed that she was caught off guard so easily.

"I was going to ask why you were just standing in the hallway, but judging by the escalating brawl out there… I think I get it." Piers smiled. Though Karen still attempted to hold the aloof, strict air that she had about her when he first met her, she was much more visibly compassionate than before. She was concerned for their well being.

"Yes… It leaves me uneasy any time Cade wishes to engage in battle. He is too young; he shouldn't need to worry about fighting monsters and other people at his age."

"I agree with you there, but what can ya do? Boys will be boys, and if Cade's got his heart set on it, there is no denying him." Piers shrugged. "Nothing wrong with teaching him some self-defense, though. You never know what's just around the corner." As he said this, his eyes sparkled. It did not go unnoticed.

"What?" Karen wanted to be in the know.

"If Cade is so keen on experience… how about we ambush them both?" It was just then that Karen realized that Piers had come equipped with his sword. His original intention as he had left his room just became apparent. "I see you have your staff with you… how about we have our own fun?"

"How very reckless." Karen frowned, her tone dripping with heavy disapproval. "What am I to gain by joining in such a barbaric action?"

"Combat and healing experience?" Piers suggested. "Come on, Karen, it'd be fun! They'd never expect it if you joined the fray. How about this? You freeze their legs on the spot and I'll knock their weapons out of their hands? Session over early, right? Less stress for you."

"I am not sure why I am even considering this… and despite my morals, I do see your point." Karen grabbed her staff, headed for the door.

"Where'd ya think you're going, Karen?" She paused, annoyed at the interruption. "An aerial assault would be much more surprising."

"I see."

* * *

"You're testing my patience." Skye warned as the boy did a victory dance. He had successfully accomplished what moments ago seemed impossible. The sword now located far behind the blonde was proof of the defeat.

"Vanessa or Piers could train you on your swordsmanship, ya know." A cheeky grin followed his statement.

"Shut up." Skye stuck her tongue out at the boy. "You only won because you're far more skilled in ranged weapons!"

Cade shrugged. "You may just need some combat training from me if you stay sluggish." Skye had a hold of Cade's black collar immediately, the boy obviously challenging her. "I kid, I kid! Let me go!"

"You better be." She warned, harshly releasing Cade from her grasp. Skye stuck out her hand, Cade knowing what she was going to ask. "I want a rematch, with my gun please!"

He handed her the gun, quickly rushing to obtain the fallen sword behind her. With his hand firmly secured on the hilt, he nodded. Cade was ready.

"Bring it." The last word Skye spoke as she headed toward her opponent. This time, she'd try a new tactic.

Well, that was the original plan.

"W-what the hell? I-I can't move!" Skye thrashed on the spot, quickly discovering that her legs had been frozen in a block of ice. Cade was in a similar predicament, trying in vain to pull himself free. A shadow swooped down from above and, in one clear motion, slashed both the sword and gun respectively from the duellists' hands. "Piers? What the hell?" Piers tipped his hat politely at the mention of his name, giving a sly grin as Skye tried ever harder to break her containment. Served her right that she only specialized in spells that boosted attributes; she'd need a fire caster like Vanessa to break that ice in a jiffy.

"Just felt like teaching the boy some real life experience, don'cha know. A man must always be prepared for what may be lurking around the corner." He turned to face Cade, pointing his sword in the boy's direction. "It is not the wisest thing to do, practicing swordplay with a gunslinger. I do hope you're aware of that."

"I've already reached that conclusion earlier." Cade chuckled despite the situation. Skye still glared at the red-head.

"You're not a spell caster… Who'd you pull into this?" She was thinking Vanessa or maybe the Prince. Both were reasonable candidates.

"I was hoping my handiwork was distinct enough to tell… my, perhaps I do need some practice." The soft voice was the last one they expected to hear. Skye looked straight up, surprised to see the female Glacian leaning on the railing above.

"Karen?"

"Who else did you expect?" Karen let out a cheeky laugh, gaining a surprised yet sarcastic look from both Piers and Cade. Skye herself let out a laugh, followed by a sigh.

"And yet you can't use your magic to help us attack monsters. Of course."

"Now now, Skye." Piers put his arm loosely around the blonde pirate. "You know how our Karen doesn't like to fight."

"Unfreeze me. NOW!" Skye said, ignoring Piers' comment. The silhouette of the silver haired Glacian was all Skye could see. She didn't appear to move one bit, Skye feeling more agitated than before. "God, I hate Glacians. Stupid magic user know it alls."

"What was that? I'm a stupid know it all?" Karen echoed playfully. "Now I thought you wanted to feel your legs again. I guess not by the sounds of things."

"Shut up… I don't want to stay frozen cause of you!" Cade glared at the already fumed girl in front of him.

Skye stuck her tongue out at the boy and then elbowed Piers in the ribs, causing him to wince.

"Ouch… that was harsh!" Piers coughed, letting out a laugh afterwards.

"I'm warning you, Karen! Let me go!" She could see Karen cross her arms, wrapping them around her staff. Then she shrugged, placing a free hand forward and facing it towards Cade. She snapped her fingers, and Cade's encasement shattered around him.

"Thanks!" Cade waved, happy for the mobility again. Seeing Cade stretch his legs and pat them made Skye jealous. She had asked first, that pesky bitch. As her mind spouted vulgarities of every kind toward the sole female Glacian of the crew, she realized then that this was the first time in a long time that Karen had actually chosen to participate in a silly venture. As annoying as Karen could be at times, Skye didn't want to shun one of the only times Karen was fun.

"Oh, woe is me!" Skye placed the back of her hand on her forehead, feigning the damsel in distress. "Whatever shall I do? I cannot possibly ask Cade to break the ice with his own magic, oh no… COUGH COUGH." Cade blinked, the request having gone over his head. Then he realized it. Skye expected him to break Karen's ice? But Karen's magic had always been too strong for him!

"Moons, give me strength!" Cade casted quickly, praying that it would have just enough strength. "Pyri!" He summoned a fireball, and with it he aimed at the ice that covered Skye's legs. Skye could feel the heat of the impact, but her legs still felt frozen… "Darnit! I just can't excel at anything!"

"Now now, Cade, there's no need to be hard on yourself." Cade looked back up at the speaker, who seemed to be prepping for a jump from the railing. Karen took flight, landing on the deck with ease as her robe swooped around her. She straightened, walking over to the group. "It takes practice with any weapon or magic to become efficient with them. Also, it takes a bit of knowledge. That ice is a highly condensed crystalen. A simple pyri won't do the trick. A strong pyrulen could break the exterior, or alternatively, you can try to reshape the ice yourself." Karen now stood by Cade, handing him her staff. "You have been doing well in your training with crystales. If you take your time, you'll be able to break it."

"Now's not the time for a magic lesson, Karen…" Skye growled softly. "My legs feel like they're about to fall off."

"You'd like to feel your legs again, right?" Karen mused. "I'd shut it if I were you. Besides, I believe you came out here in the first place to train our Cade in weaponry. Now I do believe it's my turn to help him along in the arts of magic."

"She has a valid point, Skye." Piers chimed in.

"No one asked you." She muttered; her arms firmly crossed. "And one of you un-freeze me already!"

The stress on Cade's face wasn't visible to Karen; however she could sense it easily. She put a hand on Cade's shoulder, tempting to ease his worries. "Now Cade, be patient. I know you can do this." She rolled her eyes in Skye's direction. "Even if not so, some of us aren't so blessed with the gift of patience."

Skye glowered at how easily Karen could poke at her ego, but refrained from retorting because she really did hope that Cade would hurry up and get it done. Cade was intently focused on the orb attached at the end of the staff, watching a purple swirl of energy move about in a mesmerizing pattern. He had to concentrate. He didn't want any of them to be disappointed in him…

A magic circle appeared underneath him, encircling around both he and Karen, whose comforting hand never left his shoulder. Her presence there soothed him somehow… supporting him; telling him that she had complete confidence in him. It was a blessed feeling.

"Just before you release your spell…" Karen's voice whispered to him, "Try to feel for a weakness in the ice you're breaking. If you can find that weak spot and summon your own ice to strike it there, it will break the foundation and the rest will shatter." Cade did not say anything, still summoning his gift and bolstering its power with her staff. He took it to heart, though. Karen was an absolute genius when it came to magic, so he had no reason to doubt her.

"Moons, give me strength…" Cade murmured. As he felt it about to explode from within him, it was then that he could feel how Karen's ice was constructed. Cade nearly panicked. How did she expect him to multi-task like that? Her ice felt impenetrable!

"Concentrate, Cade." Karen warned, feeling his hesitation and worry quite literally as frost crept up the arm she had offered to support him. "Bottom right corner… find it." Cade swallowed hard, closing his eyes so he couldn't see the look of dismay and impatience Skye gave him. He felt along Karen's ice with his own magic, looking for the sensitive spot. There it was!

"Crystales!" and as he spoke, a glacier of ice ripped up from the ground below Skye and struck the ice that held her in suspension. Cade held his breath, doubt creeping up as nothing seemed to happen. He had failed… after all the support he was given, he had failed them.

"Not yet, Cade… Watch carefully." Karen let go of Cade's shoulder, manipulating the frost that had accumulated on her arm into a puddle on the floor. She pointed to the ice, ignoring Skye's less than amused expression. "It's cracking, and in three seconds…" A moment passed, and then true to her word, the ice shattered. "That was well done." Piers grabbed onto Skye before she fell, knowing full well that her legs would be too numb to support her. He didn't know that Karen was going to turn their ambush into a magic lecture, but it still proved beneficial to Cade's learning, at least.


	4. As the Night Falls

The stars had illuminated the night sky, as seen through the porthole of the shared room of Piers, Prince Marion and Cade. However, the brightness of the stars was proving to be a bother to the Glacian Prince. He tried his best to sleep, which shouldn't have been a problem. He was surrounded in darkness, with the exception of the hot remnants of the candle wick he blew out moments before. He had been in a perpetual state of thought for the entirety of the day, not able to let his thoughts ease down for the night. A sigh escaped him, the Prince turning over on his side. How annoying...

"Nothing is ever easy for me, is it?" He said in a whisper, then turning on his other side, away from the starry sky. Sleep certainly wasn't beckoning for him tonight. At least if he achieved the comatose state, he could be let free of his repeating thoughts. If this continued, he'd have to ask for Karen's assistance…no. He couldn't constantly rely on her for every little detail. He'd have to figure this one out himself.

* * *

"Watch your step!" Piers called out to the imbalanced Skye as she took her first steps. The pirate had to grab onto Piers' arm for stability.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do it fast enough!" Cade's voice hinted a trace of guilt. He joined Piers in holding Skye upright, receiving an intrigued glare from the one he was helping.

Skye didn't pay any attention to his apologies, her eyes set on the beautiful wonder above. The stars up above were especially bright tonight, something she had failed to notice before.

"You still did it though, mate." Piers reassured him, his voice expressing clear pride. "I can rest easy knowing that you'd be able to break me out of an ice block if I got caught up in one."

"Maybe." Cade mumbled, still not feeling the most confident. Karen had deliberately left an obvious weak spot for him to take advantage of; would he still have succeeded if she hadn't? "Though I don't think you'd need anyone's help with that, I've never seen magic pose a problem to you."

"True enough, I was born with the natural talent of magic resilience. Mighty fortunate, seeing the kind of adventures we get ourselves into." Piers flashed them both a grin, only just then noticing the faraway look in Skye's eyes. He had wondered why she hadn't chosen that moment to insult him or poke fun at any potential cowardice he might have felt towards a dangerous adventure. It appeared that the heavenly night skies had chosen to enthral her attention on this particular night; something that didn't usually occur except on the rare occasion she chose to hang around Vanessa on the deck. The curly-haired girl had made it a habit to come up on the deck and stargaze; it was unusual that she wasn't out tonight. From his angle, Skye almost looked… sad. It seemed out of character for the usually boisterous pirate. "You like to stargaze too, Skye?"

"What?" Skye said, snapping back into reality. "Stargazing? Ha! Not for me, bud."

Piers didn't buy her answer.

"No, I'm not stargazing. I happen to realize that they're quite bright. I hadn't noticed that before." She pointed up into the sky, the stars twinkling. "Have you ever seen them that bright before?"

"I don't believe I have." Karen joined in, adjusting her spectacles. She hadn't recalled a night where the stars had been this bright. However, it was a rather beautiful sight. What moon were they under again?

"Woah! They're shiny!" Cade joined in.

"Could have something to do with the sun." Piers threw the idea out there for an individual (hopefully Karen) to land some insight on his guess. "They're such things as eclipses, right Karen?'

Karen hadn't responded, finding it hard to give Piers the attention he had in particular. Instead she headed up to the decks edge, leaning her arm on the banister. Oh how she enjoyed the wondrous sights that nature had to offer. A rare treat since in the lands of Ice there wasn't a lot of star displays. Maybe that's because we live _under_ the ice, Karen mused to herself, teasing her own culture. She grimaced at her own inside joke.

"Shut up." She said out loud. Karen blushed awkwardly, realizing that it wouldn't seem like she had just been having a conversation in her head.

"I was just asking…" Piers sounded hurt.

"Harsh, Karen. Way to shut down an attempt for an intellectual discussion – not that I really wanted to hear it or anything." Skye rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Piers. That wasn't meant for you." She wasn't going to explain what it was meant for, either. "Yes, it could be the result of an impending eclipse, or the sun is angled just so that this particular stretch of stars is being highlighted by its rays."

"Scientific reasons or otherwise, this is a rather beautiful night. Would have been a shame to miss it." At the sound of the newcomer's voice, Karen turned.

"Vanessa! I thought you had headed to bed early?" Piers perked up instantly, twisting his head to catch a glimpse of her approaching.

"I was, but I saw the stars through the porthole in my room… just seemed improper to ignore them after that." Vanessa reached the banister, resting her own arms on the wood before looking out into the beautiful night sky. "Looks like the triad is the brightest constellation tonight. Seems appropriate." She smiled softly.

"I'm heading off." Skye said quickly, heading to the exit. "Night." She had noticed constellation Vanessa was staring at, not wanting to go into further detail about the matter. If the reason was going to be discussed, she wanted no part of it.

"Why? You never headed to bed this early." Cade examined the situation, not able to make sense of it. This made no sense whatsoever, why would Skye want to leave when Vanessa joined in?

"Yeah, what gives?" Piers added, not too sure either why Skye wanted to depart.

"I'm tired. I need my rest." Was all she said before she exited the deck hall.

Both Cade and Piers exchanged looks of confusion before Piers shrugged. "And you're not tired?"

"Nope!" Cade said. "I'm wide awake!" The boy looked to be too, his eyes wide and appeared to still have a lot of energy.

Piers had trailed off in Vanessa's direction, Karen making room between the two. She figured that Piers wouldn't make too much of a fuss, so she'd give the two some space. Cade had followed Piers instead of obeying his urge to find out what was wrong with Skye. He really hoped she wasn't angry with him for besting her with her own weapon …oh darn it, he probably hit the nail on the head with that reason.

* * *

Frustrated that he couldn't sleep, Marion decided to join the other crew members out on the deck. He had heard the commotion outside before, but that wasn't contributing to his restless night. Maybe if he had some fresh air, he might be able to pass out like he normally would on nice nights like this. He threw his heavily insulated cover off of him, slipping into his violet footwear. He decided against changing, fearing that his normal attire may influence him to stay awake. The white tee and grey sweatpants Vanessa gave him would have to suffice for now. Luckily his eyes were adjusted to the light; he managed to find the matches he was planning to use. He lit the candle, the smell most awful. He didn't enjoy the smell of newly lit matches.

The Prince made his way to the door, putting the candle on Piers' bedside as a light source for when he returned. The door however almost knocked the candle over as he took a few steps back, accidentally crossing paths with the pirate in the hall. Her approval of the situation wasn't pleasant; she had ended up on the floor.

"I-I'm sorry!" The Prince said, stretching his hand out immediately to help the pirate. She took the offer, although not looking too pleased with him for his help.

"Why are you in such a rush?" She eyed him, brushing off any dirt that had got on her outfit.

"I wasn't. Crossed paths at an inconvenient point in time I believe!" Is that the best he could come up with? Whatever, she was heading to bed. "Aren't you going to look at the stars with everyone? It's been a while since we've all been together you know."

"Are you brain dead? What would you call dinner?" She rolled her eyes.

"Ah, I didn't mean that." He continued. "We eat together every day. Star gazing? Not entirely a group activity."

"Does it need to be? I've seen enough stars for one night." She waved the Prince off, not interested in his reasoning.

"Suit yourself." His sigh was proof enough that he was a tad disappointed. However, he wasn't going to force her to join in.

* * *

Vanessa felt sad at Skye's sudden departure, knowing all too well the true reason why she left. She almost wished that the call of the night sky hadn't beckoned to her so – she felt like she had interrupted a bonding moment between her other companions, and she felt guilty because of it. She knew that Piers would ask if something had happened between the two of them; nothing had, for she hadn't even hung out with Skye today at all. It was the first assumption he would make, and when she would deny that any such event took place, his inquiry would instead switch gears to the stars that both she and Skye had an apparent reaction to. She really didn't wish to get into it, and she had a feeling that was why Skye disappeared. The blonde has assumed she would become nostalgic and start spouting the significance of the Triad constellation.

She was wrong. Vanessa had no intention of sharing such information.

"Nessa? Is everything all right?" Piers softly probed the silent air with his question, hoping it would be heeded with a response. He had managed to make her lower her defenses before; he was hoping to do so again. She glanced over at him, her eyes appearing oddly glassy in that moment. Cade moved over to Karen, feeling a sort of tension stirring. Karen was a short distance away; arms folded and staring out into the expanse ahead of them. She already knew why Vanessa felt so conflicted. She only wondered why neither Skye nor Vanessa would talk about it.

"Everything's fine, Piers." Vanessa replied. "No arguments or anything of the sort, not to worry."

"I don't mean just that." Piers persisted. "You and Skye are being evasive about something; is that not obvious to everyone else?" His eyes narrowed. "Or is it that everyone else knows what this is about but you don't trust me enough to say?"

"If you're just going to interrogate me, I'm heading back inside." She sounded angry. Cade saw Karen sighing, shaking her head from behind her hand. Piers always seemed to lack tact at crucial times when it came to Vanessa. Then again, it was not like the teen ever opened up to anyone about her concerns… Karen was only knowledgeable enough about the situation because she had met the Red Rogues long enough ago. She remembered that day all too well.

"Come on, Nessa… Don't be like that." Piers sighed, feeling stupid. "I'm sorry. I know I press too much, but you always say you're okay, and it's impossible for someone to be that composed all the time. It's all right if you don't want to tell me, but please… talk to someone about it, please? You'd feel a lot better if you did."

"Piers, enough… I'll deal with it the way I feel is best." Vanessa said, letting the hint drop out that there was something up. That should shut him up for a while. He politely nodded, smiling a little. _There we go, Nessa. There's the first step_.

"It must be getting pretty late." Karen's statement brought all attention to her."The stars are starting to dim."

Cade agreed, yawning loudly after her statement. He was feeling a little weary, however… "I think I'm hitting the sack."

"Goodnight Cade." Karen smiled, waving him off. The others had joined in, wishing Cade pleasant dreams.

"Really? You as well? Why is it that I'm the only one who can't sleep."

"Prince Marion? You're awake?" Karen rushed to his side, carefully examining him. "Are you feeling alright?" Cade had said goodnight to Marion on his way out, however over Karen's bantering he hadn't heard Cade's good wishes.

"I can't sleep, but besides that." He noticed Vanessa's longing gaze. "Karen?"

Now Karen was very intuitive when it came to Prince Marion's requests. He hadn't needed to say a single word to her, however, she knew.

"Piers? Let's head off to bed. It's rather late."

Piers appeared to protest, however he stopped himself beforehand. "Yeah… I am a bit drowsy." He sarcastically lay out. He couldn't believe that Karen… well, from what he heard, it may be best the two talk about it.

"That's a true shame Piers. Let's head to bed." Karen said, slightly yanking his sleeve.

Marion chose to wait till he heard the sound of the deck door close before he spoke a word. It did, with an obvious two attempted shut to let him know it was safe to speak.

"Vanessa." He said softly, wrapping a free arm around her. "I know how you feel."

Vanessa accepted Prince Marion's comforting gesture without question. He must have been having a hard time too, now that she had thought about it.

"… I know you do." Was all she said. She turned to face him, giving him in return a comforting hug.

"It's been almost a year."

* * *

Piers had heard Cade knock on Skye's door and a few snippets of their conversation. It hadn't gone too long before he heard the sound of her door close and his opening.

"That hadn't taken too long." Piers spoke curiously. "Did she refuse you entry?"

"Basically." Cade said, throwing himself in the hammock opposite to where Piers' bed was. "I wanted to see if she was alright."

"And was she?"

"She said everything was fine. I was surprised she hadn't shooed me away." Cade sounded happy about his statement.

"You know things aren't alright; she's the exact same as Vanessa. Neither of them care to share their issues with anyone else, yet they expect us to do the same." Piers scoffed, turning to face Cade. "It's hard when it's someone you really care about."

"She'll come around, Piers. Trust me." Cade smiled, stretching his arms behind his head. "Just be patient."


	5. The Fourth Wall

Note: This might make even less sense than usual, since it makes references to some DeviantArt users and their likes and whatnot. Not like this series makes much sense to you all yet anyway but... fair warning regardless. ;)

* * *

Tales of Rogues 5 – The Fourth Wall

"Let go of me!" The young girl cried, batting her hands up in the air in an attempt to lessen the grip on her hair. "I haven't been an active member of this story in over a month, cut me some slack!"

"You haven't clued in yet, pipsqueak?" A taller girl in her late teens growled, letting out a dramatic huff of annoyance. "Nobody wants you. Get lost."

"You're mean, Skye!" The younger girl with trademark brunette pigtails whined. "Jimmy and MistressCat _love_ me. At least they said so in a couple comments awhile back; have you received any such praise? No, because you're a bitch."

"Language, Theora…" A third person in the room sighed, running a hand through her curly locks. "Just because this subseries is lenient on vulgarities doesn't mean that it's acceptable here. A bit young and improper for that, I believe."

"But Vanessa… Skye's been encouraging Cade to do it…" Theora's lower lip shook, pulling off the best sad face she could muster. "Anyway, I want some play this time around! No offense to the rest of the crew or random tragic storyline A that got rolling these last few chapters, but I thought this was supposed to be random and fun?"

"To get the creative juices flowing or something, I honestly don't know." Vanessa shrugged.

"Creative juices… perverted, Ness." Skye's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Just an expression; nothing more." Vanessa waved off the implication. "Unhand Theora, would you? It's unsightly to be seen pulling a young girl by the pigtails."

"I'm inclined to agree, Vanessa. Abuse to younger kids and a minority in our story is also unlikely to give the best representation of us to those reading." Karen stepped in the bridge, giving Theora a soft smile. "It's been awhile."

"As far as the readers know, this is our first meeting anyway, Karen!" Theora giggled, apparently thinking that was a clever joke. She rushed forward and gave the Glacian a hug.

"If the brainiac's here, the rest are soon to follow." Skye groaned, looking up at the ceiling as if they alone could understand her. "Come on, guys… I just locked myself in my room last chapter to get away from everyone; don't need this now."

"Now now Skye, darling. Please don't be so crucial." Piers appeared as if he were on call, heading in Skye's direction. He lightly stroked her face. "It just doesn't suit your pretty face."

Vanessa glared in the blonde's direction. "What?"

"You bloody well know what." Vanessa said harshly.

"I didn't ask this for this to happen, Vanessa!"

"Come on, guys… this is supposed to be a fun entry." Theora stood in front of the assembled crew, waving her hands for their attention. "This is not like the other chapters, with an engaging plot line and dramatic reveal. At least, not in the current chaos of poor development, that is."

"I do hope you are not going to suggest that we go on a reckless adventure just for the sake of it, Theora…" Karen replied, not looking at all thrilled to the assumption she had just come to.

"Nah… That's also for a later chapter, don't you agree? What I want to propose is –"

"No one wants to hear it, Theora." Skye cut in.

"I do." Marion spoke for the first time. "Not reckless and yet still captivating?" Theora grinned, happy to have his support.

"Yep! I think… that we should write a story together!"

"You got to be kidding me. I'm not writing anything with that bitch." Skye said, set in her ways. "I'm not that desperate for a story."

"Skye, since when?" Karen put her arm around the blonde, her free arm adjusting her spectacles. "A bold and adventurous reveal!"

Skye cringed.

"A bold and adventurous nonsensical reveal!" the Prince chimed in.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea you two." Vanessa cut in, giving Skye a look. That'd teach her for laying eyes on her man. She paused. "Ew. I just felt an odd case of improper character development."

"I wouldn't mind seeing more of that." Piers winked. He coughed as Vanessa shot him a glare. "Not that I understand what you mean, or anything…"

"So who wants to start?" Theora quipped, pulling out a pen and paper from seemingly nowhere. Everyone gave each other an uncertain look. "No bragging rights on who goes first? No one wants to define the narrative and lead us all on the beginning of their imaginative adventure?"

"Didn't I make myself clear? No deal." Skye said, grabbing a bottle of her favourite drink, 'Gas-o-lene" from the shelf. She swigged it, hoping to make everyone disappear.

"Gee Skye; if you don't want to participate I'm sure there are others who'll contribute ...Right Karen?"

"Of course, of course!" Karen ran up to the girl, grabbing a piece of paper of her own. "Now, if I get my references right, I do believe I can come up with a believable beginning."

"Karen, it's nonsensical." The Prince stated. "Meaning that it doesn't have to make sense in the slightest sense!"

"Like your repeated use of words." Karen raised a brow.

"Exactly!" He grinned proudly, though it slowly fell. "Wait, was that an insult? Hey!"

"So it begins." Karen placed the pen on the paper. "Is this to be about us or our own creation?"

"About us, I'd think." Theora determined. "After all, would the readers continue if it weren't?"

"Good point." Karen frowned for a moment. "It was just like any other day in the Arcadian skies…"

"...BORING!" Skye blurted out, on her second bottle. "Why not start off with 'After the raunchy escapade with Karen and Piers..."

"Oho, now we're getting somewhere." Piers clapped his hands, both Karen and Vanessa glaring at him.

"You know what? Fine." Karen growled, furiously writing something on a piece of paper. Once she finished, she thrust it over to Theora to continue.

"After the raunchy escapade with Karen and Piers, Skye and Marion got down and dirty in the escape bay while Cade innocently watched… Ew, Karen! You're sick!"

"Just going with the flow here; can't blame me." Karen pointed out. "If I'm raunchy, Skye's getting funky in the escape bay." Marion flushed hotly, though he didn't make a comment. Cade looked repulsed at the mere thought that the paper was proposing.

"You know what, me next." Cade grabbed the paper from Theora's quivering hands. He scribbled something down and passed it on to Vanessa.

"Sheryl and Cade were having a nice picnic in Ixa'taka, entirely devoid of the rest of the crew and exempt from this story… really Cade?" Vanessa giggled, and then blinked. "Wait, who's Sheryl?"

"Got a long time to learn that one." Cade said in obvious foreshadowing. Nothing more was said of 'Sheryl'.

"Woah, Karen. I'm impressed!" Skye managed to cut in before the initial conversation ended. "Didn't think you had it in ya." She winked in her direction.

"Are you done humiliating yourself?" Karen huffed.

"Heh, Sheryl... What a name." Skye giggled, obviously buzzed. "Sounds like 'Sh' and 'eryl'. "

"Apparently not." A prolonged sigh left Karen's lips. "I'll never understand you."

Skye grabbed the paper from Cade, who expressed his disappointment in a whine.

She scribbled what seemed like forever, the blonde laughing hysterically at some parts.

Vanessa hesitantly took the paper from Skye's hand, reading blindly what the paper told her.

"Karen decided that being the advisor of Glacia was a stupid occupation and told the Prince to go F*** himself, and divorced Michelin on the account of she felt he was too good for her (which is so true)? ... Skye, this is horrible!"

"Keep reading." Skye sang playfully, taking another sip.

"She then decided to become the mistress of the Emperor of Valua, who found silver haired women to be rather exquisite, and although Karen minded the harsh beatings she received from the fair haired emperor, she learned to love it and eventually begging herself to be spanked… Okay, that's far enough."

Karen's eyes narrowed into daggers, as she observed the pirate rolling on the floor laughing. "Oh god, this is too much fun!" She yelled between laughs. Marion saw the distraught look on Karen's face and took the paper from Vanessa.

"May I?" He held his hand out for the pen. Vanessa passed it to him. "Thanks."

What happened next seemed like an eternity. Marion's handwriting was delicate and slow, and his eyes appearing most thoughtful as he would occasionally pause, give a quick glance to all of the crew waiting restlessly for his piece, and continue. This would repeat for quite some time; most of the occupants of the room impressed that he was dedicating so much effort into this project, while one pirate in particular was growing increasingly impatient.

"Are you done yet?" Skye remarked, now looking positively bored.

"You can't rush a masterpiece, Skye." Marion commented, taking a last pause with the pen. "I have, however, just ended my portion." He passed it back to Vanessa, trusting that she would read it the way he wrote it and not add her own inflections (which he knew Skye would).

"A week had passed when the capital of Valua erupted into a frenzy of high pitched sirens. The city had been infiltrated by a team of Glacians who knew the truth behind Karen's departure; the absence of Skye as the crew frantically searched for her had been further indication that a certain mastermind was at work. They had faced this particular villain before a few times; more than they would wish to admit as he generally targeted the females of the Red Rogues and left the guys, with the outside assistance of Julia, to find them. His name was Darius. The filthy emperor of Valua, Enrique's son Hot-Cross Buns, had hired him to kidnap Karen so he could make her his mistress. It was cruel and unjust, and Prince Marion knew something was up immediately. It smelled like the work of that dastardly fiend, and thus he set to work about retrieving one of his best friends.

The infiltration team consisted of Piers, Cade, Vanessa, Julia, Prince Marion, and Michelin (Skye is absent because she hadn't been found yet as of this point). Julia proved to be the most useful of the bunch, for although she had never before stepped within the walls of Valua, she had a profound ability when it came to scouting undetected and tracking people. She led them straight to one of the grand chambers in the palace, which filled the rescue team with dread. Was Karen really here? They opened the door."

"This isn't interesting at all." Skye balked, interrupting the read. "An emperor called Hot-Cross Buns? Really Prince?" Theora snorted.

"I think it's funny and thoughtful. I want to hear more."

"Of course you would." Skye retorted, making a face. "You're always trying to suck up to him."

"I rather like it, myself…" Piers admitted, speaking for the first time in awhile. "I don't know who Julia is, or why Enrique and Moegi would name their son Hot-Cross Buns, but I'm not against hearing the end of this story." Marion's face looked proud as most of the team complimented him on his handiwork so far. He had put a lot of effort into it, after all.

"Well excuse me while I take another sip." Skye said, reaching for yet another bottle of the famous Gas-o-lene, hoping the last bottle would knock her out entirely. She couldn't take hearing this boring story much longer.

"Karen wasn't anywhere to be found, her robe dwindling on the bedpost. A true worry; as Karen never left anywhere without it. Emperor Hot-Cross Buns had taken her to another location. But the true question was... where?"

"The better question is, when this awful addition is going to end!" Marion looked genuinely hurt from how rude Skye was being towards his work. He didn't feel he had done that poorly on it.

"Fine; stop reading it, Vanessa. I'll summarize the end. Karen is found, hurt but still alive, Darius was really behind most of it and we beat the snot out of him, Skye is discovered locked in another room, Michelin reunites with the love of his life and carries her gallantly out of the palace to the ship, I help Skye out of her predicament, and we forcefully overthrow the government because Hot-Cross Buns is not a worthy leader by any means."

"Who takes it over, then?" Skye asked.

"Oh, interested in it again now are you? Well it's too bad; you'd have to read to find out." Marion looked smug.

"No, I just wanted to poke some holes in your story. Still boring, next please."

"You don't need to be so rude…" Vanessa sighed, frowning at her companion.

"Well Theora makes us do stupid stuff, and I signed a contract where I have to be a bitch any time she gets any screen time, so…" Skye shrugged.

"Really?" Theora's eyes were wide in disbelief. Was she only so ridiculously mean because she HAD to do it?

"No, and you're a gullible ho."

"You're mean…" Theora mumbled. "Fine, if you don't want to write a story anymore, that's fine. I'll just fall back into obscurity until Vanessa writes chapter 7 of the main series, is that what you want?"

"YES!" Skye lifted her hands up towards the heavens. "She finally understands me!"

"No!" cried the illusory projection of Jimmy. "We needs the Theora! Oh, Cade's cool too."

"Dude, thanks." Cade's face brightened.

"Get out of here." Skye snapped, waving her hands through the ghostly form of Jimmy. "No encouraging the twerps."

"I will do as I see fit, thanks. I'm not going anywhere." Jimmy crossed his arms. "You need to give more respect to the characters we like, and I'm not leaving until I see that happen."

"Screw that, I'm calling the Ghostbusters." Skye reached for the intercom. Jimmy panicked.

"No, not that!" Forever wishing to elude capture, Jimmy promptly disappeared. Skye walked over to where Jimmy once floated, appearing to patch up a gap in the wall.

"There. That's the last time the fourth wall is broken. NOBODY TOUCHES THIS, GOT IT?"

"Loud and clear." Cade saluted. "Wait, what?"


	6. A Colorful Rainbow

Tales of Rogues 6 - A Colorful Rainbow

"…OMG!" Skye whispered, pressing her ear up against Vanessa's room wall. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Vanessa's attention perked to Skye, watching her expressions change frequently. "Keep in mind that I don't have my ear pressed up against Karen's room wall."

"…No. That slut!"

Vanessa had an idea with what Skye was referring to, and if she was correct... Oh Skye.

"Skye, please. Is this really necessary?"

"Completely and absolutely." Skye affirmed, peeling herself from the wall for a moment to wave Vanessa over. Vanessa sighed reluctantly, giving in to pressure and pressing her ear against the wall.

She couldn't believe what she heard.

It was beautiful. Her voice… was absolutely beautiful.

"She's… singing." Vanessa whispered. It sounded so haunting, so sad… and yet so captivating.

"It's horrible. We're the captains of this ship; we dictate what does and does not happen on this ship!"

"And singing… is a bad thing?" Vanessa frowned.

"Not at all." A male voice entered the room, Vanessa and Skye's eyes widened at the user. Michelin. Vanessa blushed awkwardly, withdrawing from the wall.

He didn't have his shirt on; as per usual when he had joined the Rogues. The man was used to the colder temperatures of the Lands of Ice, so extra fabric wasn't necessary in his eyes when he traveled the skies.

"WOwza." Skye said aloud, immediately covering her mouth, Vanessa looking at her friend in horror.

"And may I ask why you ladies are listening in on my beautiful wife?"

"Uuh..." Skye squeaked, recomposing herself. "Thought I heard her scream!" Michelin raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

"And you didn't rush to her aid because...?" He crossed his arms. Vanessa rolled her eyes, sighing at her companion.

"Skye is incapable of admitting that Karen is an amazing singer." Vanessa replied, before Skye dug herself into a bigger hole. "I'm most certain that she'd stop should she be aware that we're eavesdropping on her, so…"

"Like when you play the violin sometimes?" Michelin smiled.

"Yeah, just like that… wait, you eavesdrop?" Vanessa felt her cheeks burn.

"Your music is as enchanting as Karen's singing, Vanessa. It would be a tragedy NOT to listen, should an opportunity present itself."

"You sound just like Piers… He'd say something like that, I'm sure." Vanessa chuckled.

Skye snorted. "Well, I have talents too ya know."

Michelin's lips curved upward in amusement. "Like?"

"Obviously you're too stupid to not notice my _natual_ abilities, Michelin." She shot back.

"Like your amazing pronunciation on words. Very classy." Vanessa grinned. "Kidding aside, you're a great dancer and you have no equal in the gunslinger department, so you should have no worries."

"Don't make me sound like a froo, Vanessa…" Skye whispered a warning. "Dancing is hardly a recognized talent."

"Ah, yes. I nearly forgot that you did in fact have a talent." Michelin teased. "As I recall, you are quite good at dancing."

"Mhm." Skye said nothing more on the matter, not wanting to get into any examples.

"Well, ladies, I must be off. Karen did ask me to join her in a reading. Going to learn about some pretty interesting rock formations today!"

"Wee, sound's exciting." Skye rolled her eyes. "Have fun ...not."

"Have fun doing nothing." Michelin retorted. "Good night to you, Vanessa."

"You too, Michelin." Vanessa voiced her goodbyes, Skye grumbling as she went. "What's wrong?"

"Damn Michelin… thinks he's so suave and cool…"

"That's because he is…" Vanessa trailed off; having seen the ugly look Skye gave her at that statement. "Did you see Julia on your way here? I want to talk to her about something."

"Julia? Yeah yeah, I saw her." Skye rolled her eyes. "Said for me to tell you that if you specifically at any point felt like talking to her about something to screw off." Vanessa's expression turned deadpan.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure." Her voice dripped in sarcasm.

"Piers was also wanting a word with you as well." Skye said, feeling a little foolish for not mentioning that before. "I forget what it was about though. Ah, whatever." She shrugged. "He'll find you at some point."

"Really?" Vanessa sounded a bit interested, but it was switched with a laugh. "Yeah, he always does manage to find me, wherever I may be."

"Yeah… creeper." Skye stuck out her tongue. Vanessa just shook her head.

"So what are we to do now, or would you mind if I took some time to speak with Julia and Piers?"

"Julia really, really doesn't want to talk to you, you know." Skye said it with the most serious face she could muster, attempting believability. Vanessa could see right through it. "Better just go to Piers when you head out."

"As you wish." Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Wonder what he wants this time?"

"Being you, it could be anything." She winked, knowing full well Vanessa would catch on to the hidden meaning.

"Skye!" A crimson line flushed her face immediately. "I'm sure it's nothing like that."

"I'm not sure either, t'was only a guess." She laughed. "Yeah, go. I'll be fine."

"I do hope you're going to stop eavesdropping on Karen now…" Vanessa took a moment to head back to the wall, listening intently. "Actually, they're talking about volcanoes. Right up your alley, eh Skye?" She winked.

"Totally." Skye headed towards the door. "I'll be in my room if you need me. Have fun talking to Brunette Ho A and Sun Roasted B."

"Will do. See you later." And with that they went their separate ways.

Skye headed into her room, shutting the door lightly. She should have figured Vanessa was slightly interested in the redhead; she was bound to be eventually. Piers overall wasn't a horrible guy, and he really did like Vanessa. Well, good for them. She frowned, thinking about the possibility of their relationship advancing. If that happens... she supposed she should have been happy about it. Yeah she should be... Damn, since when had she cared about those two? Stupid Piers. Why couldn't he simply be silent about his feelings for her curly haired friend! Then again, he was being true to his emotions. Skye couldn't help but smirk. If only she were as brave as he.

* * *

"Julia?" Vanessa called, knocking on the door to the guest bedroom. "Are you there?" She heard a quick shuffle towards the door, and a click to signal that the obstacle was being unlocked. It swung open, a soft smiling face there to greet her as it did.

"I am. Please, come on in." The dark garbed woman moved out of the way so Vanessa could enter, which she did. The brunette quietly closed the door behind her. "For what do I owe the pleasure of such a visitation?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." Vanessa started, though Julia silenced her for a moment by directing her to sit on the bed. Julia herself took up roost on the desk chair. "And I know this is irrelevant to everything, but your hair looks really nice down."

"You're too kind." Julia responded, though she appreciated the comment. "It mostly just gets in the way, which is why I tie it back most occasions."

"Maybe you shouldn't do such activities that involve your hair being tied up all the time?" Vanessa said; a hopeful expression on her face.

"Nice try." the woman smiled, her arms lightly crossed. "I have a duty I must attend to, you know that."

"I know…" Vanessa sighed, clearly aware of said duty but trying to ignore it. She didn't feel like it was the most necessary position, not when she was among friends. Julia already knew how Vanessa felt about it. They had many discussions before concerning that matter, after all. "Has there been any word?"

"From Sheryl? No." Julia shook her head. "Neither she nor Cade have reported anything since they went on their own adventure."

"I really wish that you had gone with them, Julia." Vanessa appeared disheartened. "I know the oath you swore and the obligations you have, but I do wish that could have been put on temporary hiatus for them."

"They'll be fine." Julia reassured her. "If they run into any trouble, I will know. Don't stress about it."

"Okay… thanks." Vanessa brightened slightly. "Do you feel like baking a cake with me?"

"I am hardly a gourmet chef… and at such a late hour?" Julia appeared curious, though uncertain.

"Yeah, just thought you'd like to do something fun, though… I guess you'd have to pull your hair back for this one." Vanessa laughed. "Can't have your hair in the cake, after all."

"And why not? I'd certainly like some of me in that wonderful cake you're going to bake."

Julia smiled, hoping she'd appreciate her humor.

"In making it, sure thing." Vanessa teased, grinning. She got up from the bed and headed for the door. "Meet me in the kitchen in ten? Piers was looking for me apparently; want to see what he wanted."

"I will be there in ten." Julia promised. Vanessa knew she would be there, too; right on time. Julia was always punctual for an occasion, regardless of whether it was mere social or serious business.

"Oh, and Julia?" Vanessa paused in her stride for a moment to turn back and face Julia. "Thanks for the reassurance." Julia nodded respectfully, and then Vanessa left to find a particular red-head.

* * *

Skye took off her bandana, unwilling to have her hair bound to it. Taking a brush to her blonde strands, slowly she made her way down from her scalp to the tips. Brushing her hair was a great way to reflect, thanks to a reality slap. She still refused to think of the unspoken subject, not willing to go down that path again. A weekly occurrence it was for her, a realization that wasn't as bad as she made it out to be …but. It was simply an inconvenience. Pushing a simple emotion out of one's head could leave someone rather tired and cranky on occasion.

Skye leant her head on her desk. With Cade out on his adventure with Sheryl and Vanessa busy, she really didn't have a close companion to talk to. She would have mentioned Piers, however he was bound to be with her at this point, so the mere thought of his availability would have been pointless.

…And the Prince was the last person she'd want to converse with.

Skye made her way to her bed, readying a clipboard with a piece of paper. Did she forget to tell Michelin she was quite good with sketching? Skye laughed at the thought, pressing the newly sharpened pencil onto the paper, ready to make a new line. Or was she? She thought about what she wanted to sketch. Maybe a small strip of her and Karen? Nah, she had done too many of those. The results of those ideas had come in handfuls before, currently lingering under her bed. If Karen or Vanessa saw the contents of those comics, she'd be beyond screwed. Oh! She had the perfect idea! Skye and Karen: In, "You're driving me insane!" -

-"Hello?" A persistent, yet light knock echoed from her door, causing Skye to jump unexpectedly, ruining her piece of paper with a thick gray line. She threw her clipboard aside in frustration, soon grabbing the door in the same manner.

"What." Her blue eyes narrowed at the regal figure before her. "I'm busy."

"I see." He said, taking a deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd like some company, since everyone else is doing their own thing."

"Clearly not if I haven't gone looking for you myself, now." She crossed her arms. "You'll have to find a new last resort for company. Sorry for the inconvenience."

The Prince rolled his eyes, a new expression for the pirate to see. "Would I come and seek you out simply because I'm lonely? I think not."

"Whatever, I'm not playing head games. You coming in, or not?"

* * *

"Piers?" She softly rapped on his door with the back of her hand. "Are you there?"

"Always for you, my Nessa." His voice spoke from behind. She jumped, having not realized he had snuck behind her. How had he managed to do that? She was always aware of a pending ambush… maybe she was just tired. He hugged her from behind, his chin on her shoulder. He tilted his head, looking at her with soft hazel eyes. "I've been looking for you, you know."

"So I've heard." She giggled, letting her fingers travel up and down his exposed arms looped around her. "For what do I owe this pleasure, dear Piers?" Piers simply gave her a grin full of pearly whites, almost looking a bit embarrassed.

"Well, I had this absurdly random craving for a cake, so I was wondering if you'd like to make one with me or… something like that." It was true; he had been craving it ever since he saw the makings in the cupboard a short time ago. He also had a random image of putting icing on Vanessa's nose… he really hoped she would say yes.

"That's quite a coincidence; I was desiring the same thing. I will accept your proposal, though I do hope you don't mind if Julia joins in? I asked her first if she wanted to make one with me."

"That's fine." He replied cheerfully, doing his best to hide the initial disappointment as he became aware they wouldn't be alone. He had nothing against Julia, but he wasn't sure if he could be as silly as he was imagining if she was there… "The more the merrier." She could sense the momentary pause he had felt at the mention of Julia, but she didn't question it. She knew he would have rather they done it by themselves.

"I told her I'd meet her in the kitchen in ten. Let's go." Vanessa slyly slipped her hand into his and dragged him down the hallway. The quest for the cake was underway.

* * *

"Erm, Skye?" The Prince before her looked around nervously, the mess of books and clothes surrounding his feet as he entered the room. He had realized the pileup particularly around the door, as if to keep out unwanted guests. "I don't believe I've ever set foot in your… abode." Prince Marion said, a hint of nervousness surrounding his words.

"If you don't feel comfortable, feel free to leave." She eyed the Prince, immediately shaking his head in response.

"No, no. I didn't mean to offend you." He paused. "Although, why all the books by the door?"

"Don't have a better place for 'em." She shrugged. "Better doorstoppers than anything else."

"Oh! Right!" He said aloud, pulling some papers from his pocket, as he handed them to her. "This is what came to see you for. Someone left you some notes in the kitchen. Saw them on my way out and figured I'd drop them off."

Skye took the sealed envelopes, not really sure who they could be from. Anyone she'd want to talk to was right on the ship, with the few exceptions of the Glacians that were residing in the Lands of Ice.

"Thanks." Out of curiosity she opened the one on the top first, breaking the seal expertly with a finger. She pulled it out, and at her confused expression Marion started to worry.

"I don't get it… is someone intentionally trying to make their handwriting as unrecognizable as possible?" Skye huffed. "I've seen how everyone writes; no one's got a style as shitty as this."

"What does it say?" Marion was genuinely confused. She rolled her eyes and passed it to him. "_Carry forth, ye adventurous spirit, and wander unto the place utensils dwell."_ He frowned. "The kitchen? But I was just there."

"Well, it's better than sitting around and doing nothing, I suppose." She shrugged, taking back the note from Marion before unceremoniously dumping both it and the other sealed letter on her desk. "I'll read the other later. I want to see what this is about."

"Ah, in that case I suppose I will see you later then –"

"Hold up, you're coming with me." Skye cut him off, making sure she had his attention. "If this is an ambush, I want some backup."

"Are you that paranoid that civilians of Nasrad would be out to get you?" Marion questioned, looking confused. "I'm aware that we're docked right now, but I doubt that any would board the ship to then simply leave a letter in the kitchen for you."

"That's how the masterminds do it." Skye said jokingly as they began their short walk to the kitchen. "Lead you into a false sense of security with logic like yours and then… BAM!" She punched her fists together.

"Valid point." Marion admitted. "And being that it is of a handwriting we have never seen before…"

"I was kidding, Prince." Skye groaned. He could be so gullible sometimes. "No one in their right mind would board the Red Rogues ship… or any pirate ship docked, for that matter." They paused when they reached the hallway leading to the kitchen. It was entirely unwarranted, but they both felt a tad bit nervous. Skye casually took a step slower to be behind the Prince, pushing him forward to take the brunt of whatever was to come. "After you!"

"H-Hey, that isn't fair!" Marion stumbled, catching himself with the frame of the kitchen doorway. Three pairs of eyes stared up at the spectacle in confusion. Marion blushed, straightening himself while taking a moment to turn and glare at Skye. "Behold the true sinister evil… of friends baking a cake together."

"What?" Skye slipped through the small free space of the entryway, catching a glimpse of the group in the kitchen. Vanessa, Piers, and Julia were pulling out the makings for a cake. There was nothing lurking in the kitchen… just members of the crew.

And a cake. She almost felt disappointed.

"Hey guys!" Vanessa said cheerfully, pulling out bowls for them to mix the ingredients in. "Care to join us?"

"Was it you that left the invitation in the kitchen?" It would make sense if she did. Vanessa's face glazed over in temporary confusion.

"Invitation?"

"I found one here while I was walking by." Prince reported, looking puzzled. "We didn't recognize the writing… looked very archaic."

"My writing is fashionable, thank you." Piers replied, seeing all eyes on him. "I would not settle for anything less. Must have been Julia."

"My my, what a presumptuous guess." Julia pulled out three eggs, reading the recipe carefully. She did not want the first dish she would make with Vanessa to end in failure. "Though quite a correct one." Skye's mouth twitched. _Julia_ had sent the invite? She didn't believe her. Skye went over to the counter, pulled open a drawer, and took out a pen and a pad of paper. She thrust it in front of Julia, whose brown eyes just glinted in amusement. "While I do consider it a compliment that you don't believe me, I suppose I will have to prove my case." Julia handed the eggs to Piers before taking the pen. She wrote the same sentence twice. One was luxurious with its perfect swirls and carefully crafted letters; the other was the chicken scrawl that Skye recognized from the note before.

"You're too good at being sneaky." Skye remarked, pouting. "And you don't use such talents on escapades with us, a true shame…" Julia laughed playfully.

"Just thought you'd like to join in the fun." She gestured to the countertop with the waiting ingredients. She glanced over at Marion. "You too, Prince."

Seeing as Julia was distracted, Vanessa had headed in Skye's direction, unexpectingly hugging the blonde from behind.

"I missed you." She said, nuzzling her nose into Skye's neck.

"Aaaw."

Skye turned to face Vanessa, giving her a proper hug. She had noticed Piers' look of jealousy, however ignored it. 'Sucks to be Piers', a personal quote which in turn made her giggle.

"Don't we need other ingredients for the cake? All I see are eggs." Not like she had really scanned the countertop; her eyes were still on Vanessa, who was still smiling as she pulled away.

"Are you blind?" Piers scoffed, before reflecting on the irony of that statement. Skye did wear glasses for a reason. "Everything's gathered right here."

"You forgot the margarine, Piers." Vanessa teased, pointing to the refrigerator. Piers ignored the implication of his mistake and quickly retrieved the missing object. "All right, here's the game plan. I'll butter and add flour to the base of the baking pans, Skye will break the eggs, Julia will measure the olive oil and water needed, and Piers, you get to mix it."

"Piece of cake." He grinned. Vanessa rolled her eyes at the pun.

"I do hope you're aware the mixer is broken. You'll be doing it by hand."

"Bugger."

"What about me?" Marion asked; feeling left out.

"I have an especially important task for you, Marion, not to worry." Vanessa felt light as she saw his face brighten. "The cake is nothing without icing, don't you agree?"

"That it isn't." Julia piped up, pouring her liquid substances into the bowl accordingly, passing it along to Skye. "What kind of icing is it going to be, Prince?"

Marion looked over at Vanessa, expecting an answer.

"White. I figure the cake can act as a creative canvas." She handed him some white sugar while at the same time directing his attention to the milk sitting on the counter. Vanessa then showed the crew multiple colored tubes; pre-made icing it appeared to be. "And these are our paintbrushes!" Piers snorted.

"That was corny." And cute, he thought, though he didn't verbalize it. His sparkling eyes said it all.

"Not like you're any better most times." Skye pointed out, cracking open the eggs with the ease of a professional. She passed the bowl to Vanessa, who dumped the cake mix in one quick motion before handing it to Piers. He blinked, knowing that he would have to put his heart into it if he was going to impress her. Vanessa would require nothing less than perfection before she'd allow the mixed substance into her prepared baking pans.

"I have not the slightest what you're on about, Skye." Piers grumbled, grabbing a spoon and tightening his fist around the handle as he prepared to plunge into menial territory.

"Course ya don't." Skye smirked at the annoyed expression Piers wore. She saw Marion efficiently making the icing and then wondered… what were they supposed to do now? She vocalized this to Vanessa.

"Well, you and Julia can pour the batter into the pans, and then… well, guess we'll have to wait a bit for the base to get done in the oven first." Vanessa shrugged. Making a cake was not too difficult with one or two people; she found it harder to give five people an even amount of work to do.

"Can't you do it?" Skye pleaded. "I don't trust ninjas."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, overseeing the work from her standpoint; near the oven. She watched happily as everyone did their job to the best of their ability.

"I'm not a ninja." Julia frowned.

"Um, yes you are. That's why we don't get along... DUH!"

Piers couldn't help but laugh. The classic pirate versus ninja argument, of course. He felt proud when he had mixed the ingredients together thorough enough that Vanessa had stamped her seal of approval on it with a thumbs up. He felt elated as he watched Julia and Skye sluggishly pour the contents into the pans (neither had trust in each other, and Julia did not initially start pouring because she was certain Skye would pull the pan out from under the bowl), but it got done and Vanessa placed the evenly filled pans on racks in the oven. She set the timer and then turned to face the waiting group; Marion having already finished the icing in a separate mixing bowl only a moment ago.

"So… what do we do now?" Marion asked, coming to stand beside Vanessa near the oven.

"Well, we could play a game." Vanessa suggested. "Cards or word games?"

"Ohhhh I got one." Piers snapped his fingers. "Truth or Dare. Vanessa, I dare you to kiss me."

"How straightforward." Julia commented, joining the conversation. "However, I do believe she is allowed the option to choose, Piers."

"I do." Vanessa pondered. She thought about her decision, everyone waiting anxiously. "Alright Piers, I pick dare."

"Wait... What?" Piers flushed, surprise by Vanessa's unexpected answer. She headed toward him, holding his hand. "I want you to close your eyes." She whispered lightly.

Piers closed his eyes in anticipation, trying to not look too anxious himself. Only then, he hadn't been more let down.

"I don't think kissing his hand is what he was going for, Vanessa." Marion added. Julia let out a chuckle.

"No fair." Piers said, opening his eyes.

"Oh? You were never specific." Vanessa winked, eyes glimmering mischievously as she beheld his disappointed stare. He straightened himself though, cursing that she could take his dare as literally as she did. If she wanted specific, he'd get her… next time. "Guess it's my turn to ask someone then, eh?" Vanessa looked over the other people in the room. Depending on what they chose, this could be some primetime to get to know some of them. "Marion? Truth or Dare."

"Truth." He replied without hesitation. She figured he would be like that.

"How did you meet Karen?" It was something she always wondered.

"Bumped into her while I was uh… taking a trip through the city when I was eleven." Marion paused, wondering if he should reveal that he had caught people bullying her and he was only 'out' because he had run away for an afternoon of freedom. "I had never seen anyone with hair like hers before, and I found it silly that others disliked her for it, so… I talked to her for a time. A fun conversation from what I can remember." He would not mention that he had pushed the bullies out of the way from behind, grabbed Karen's arm and ran like he had a flock of wyverns behind him. They were chased, but they managed to escape. "My turn now?" Vanessa felt like his story wasn't entirely accurate (his face always looked a bit funny when he altered the truth to suit him), but she wasn't going to press him on the matter. She nodded.

Marion scanned the room, looking at the faces of each individual before him. There was one individual however who hadn't given him any eye contact since this game started. This could end up being quite fun.

"Skye? Truth or dare?"

"Truth." She simply answered. There was no way he'd ask a question of any importance. He lacked the brain capacity.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green." Skye rolled her eyes. She figured it'd be something stupid like a favorite color. "My turn. Julia, truth or dare." The brunette almost seemed surprised that Skye had chosen her. Then again, depending on what she chose…

"Truth." Why not? Julia had deduced that Skye wouldn't ask anything personal of her. Knowing the pirate's usual personality, she will likely just mock the Prince for his weak question.

Julia was right.

"What's your favourite number?" Skye said this with a completely serious face.

"Fifteen." She would not explain the significance of why she liked this number; fifteen being the age she was when she first met the people that would later become some of her closest friends. "I suppose it ends with Piers, hmm? Truth or Dare." She had no idea what to ask him, or what he'd choose. Julia would have to wait for his answer.

"Dare." He said hopefully.

Julia could easily work with this. She held her finger up, pointing at each crew member. "I dare you to give..." She paused, as she pointed to herself. "ME, a piggyback ride around the room."

Well, that's not what he was expecting at all. It had come to his attention a long time ago that Julia was wary of men; or at least that was his conclusion as he had never seen her allow any guy touch her before. Even Karen was not that stingy; she'd at least accept some hugs on occasion. Julia… he had always known to have a very deep sense of personal space. It almost felt like a privilege that she was trusting him enough now to touch her.

For a piggyback, of all things.

He bent down, allowing her to hop on. He could sense her initial discomfort right away (was she really trying to battle a phobia instead of simple fun?), but he didn't give her a chance to think about it as he sprung into action, racing around the room as she held onto his shoulders in a vice grip. She was very light; probably the lightest of the girls though she had a few years and height on them. Must have been the way she dressed. She preferred convenience.

Piers was almost surprised that he had spent as much time reflecting on her character as he did, since he had never really thought about it before. Their escapades around the room had been halted by the reoccurring ding of the oven; Vanessa pulling out the baking pans with a satisfactory expression on her face. They would still have to wait for it to cool down before applying the icing, but it wouldn't be too much longer now.

"This cake is going to taste absolutely amazing! Julia squealed, hopping off of Piers' back. She ran to the oven, however careful to not be in the way of the grand unveiling. Julia adored cake; that was no doubt in anyone's mind.

"I hope I did a good job on the icing." The prince hoped aloud, both Piers and Skye hearing his comment.

"You better. I worked hard to crack those eggs." She replied jokingly, causing him to frown. Skye pulled a face. "I was kidding, geesh."

"It's hard to tell with you."

Piers nodded. "It's the truth." He replied as backup for Marion's statement. "Pretty sure you can't mess up icing, man." He patted the Prince's back.

"God, it's not like his best friend died. " Skye threw her head back, her voice increased in volume. "It's icing, get over it."

The Prince let out an unhappy sigh. "Easy for you to say. All you did was crack a few eggs!"

"And pour the batter into the pans! Don't forget that!" She smirked. "I was trusted with a harder position than you."

"For the love of Arcadia, shut it you two." Vanessa getting tired of the potential argument, decided to take the cake out, hoping that the others weren't getting restless. "It should be okay to ice it now!" Vanessa letting the tips of her fingers graze the cake's surface. The temperature was perfect. Well, perhaps still a bit too warm, but the patience of her colleagues felt like they were wearing thin. She directed them over to the squeezable pouches, each taking a color as she applied the icing Marion had made onto the cake. It was a perfect texture, and though she was right in that the cake still could have waited a bit longer (she had a furious, silent battle on one end), she managed. The only remaining color left was… red. They had saved it for her, aw.

They all hesitated, waiting for her to say something. Did they want her to give decorating tips? As an incentive, she drew Skye's face and her hair bandanna on one side. She had started to draw the Red Rogues flag with red icing when the others joined in.

"Oh noez, here comes the enemy shipz!" Skye took the blue icing and sketched a rather horrid looking Albatross III coming for the floating Skye head, as Julia (with her yellow icing) drew the sun.

"I drew Glacia!" Piers grinned, pointing to the hill of purple icing near the Albatross III. "The Blue Rogues must've just left."

"Not funny." Marion pulled a face, adding green clouds next to Julia's sun. "Hardly a work of art." Vanessa drew her face near Skye's, both wearing enthusiastic grins despite the oncoming giant blue mass of ship beside them. Julia was busy adding the various different weapons each member used on the sides of the cake – a laborious process, but she managed.

The end result of the cake, when all was said and done, well…

"Looks like a rainbow puked on it." His deeper voice was unexpected; so engaged were they all in their activity that they jumped at the addition of another resident of the room. Scratch that, two residents.

"Michelin!" Karen sounded shocked, appalled at his comment. "I think it looks adorable."

"Oh, of course they show up once we're done." Skye grumbled. "Useless bastards."

"You should check out the Glacian mass on the side." Skye chuckled, Piers joining in.

"It's quite the purple mass of puke if you ask me." He grinned.

"Is this a joke?" Karen eyed Prince Marion, shrugging in response.

"I tried to stop him." he grinned awkwardly, Karen not buying his attempt.

"Would you like some cake?" Vanessa asked with the knife in her hand.

"I'll grab the plates!" Piers offered, taking a stack of seven dessert plates from the shelf.

"And I'll help! Julia joined in, grabbing seven forks from the dishware cabinet. The group of seven crowded around, each in line for cake. Michelin surprisingly was allowed at the front of the line, him asking for his purple mass of a homeland to be on his plate. Karen liked the Albatross III drawing, so Vanessa cut out the ship plus a half of Julia's sun. Julia in turn wanted her friend to be on her slice, so Vanessa had her face cut out with the other half of Julia's sun. Prince Marion was the last in line, having two plates in his hand. Skye was setting up the chairs around the table to accommodate everybody, so he asked for the end part of the Albatross III, and a piece with a single green cloud.

The group more or less stood around the dinner table with the exception of Karen and Michelin. Vanessa smiled as Julia commented how wonderful it was for them all to be here together (with the exception of Cade and Sheryl) eating cake together. Piers happily devoured Glacia as Marion handed the green cloud cake piece to Skye, commenting that she should like it because it was her favorite color. She rolled her eyes, however accepted the piece. Vanessa had made sure to keep the best picture on the cake to herself, as she smiled down at her piece, and her missie smiled back.


End file.
